It was a very tough week in Hollywood in that more than a few notable performers have left us. Not only Dennis Hopper, but also Gary Coleman. And now Rue McClanahan has passed away too, at age 76. I was lucky enough to have done a live show with her in New York a few years back, and I have to say (not atom-splittingly) that she was one lovely and wildly funny lady, who shall be sorely missed. And as for good news in Tinseltown? Other than the fact that 4-year-old Suri Cruise is now the proud owner of an iPad (which will spur late-night talk show hosts to begin all monologues with “So a kid walks into a Genius Bar”)? Let’s just get to the flicks. See, I particularly enjoy blogging on Fridays because it’s movie day. Now I know for some die hard fans (which I guess includes actual Die Hard fans, too) movie day often begins Thursday around midnight. For me however, this particular showtime is always a lousy idea. Because by the time I manage to get to a theatre at midnight in my pj’s with my calcium pills in hand and the Starbucks latte to keep me up so I don’t miss any of the action, there’s always a horde of drunken young revelers with the exact same idea lurching around the concessions stand. None of them can make up their minds as to which $8 package of chocolaty goodness they’ll combine with their $11 popcorn (nor can I) and thus commerce – but not what’s on screen – grinds to a halt. The result of this folly? I invariably miss at least the first two trailers which for me is so devastating that the next 2 hours are entirely devoid of mirth. But Friday’s a different story. You can go at 11:00 in the morning and seat yourself luxuriously in between a) kids cutting class, b) bored housewives looking to not be for a few hours, and c) petty thieves/international spies meeting in a public place to discuss local burglaries/global arms deals. Couldn’t be easier. And you miss nothing. Thus, I love everything about Fridays as movie day. And truthfully, it’s not even about the anticipation of any particular film; rather it’s the mere fact that there are myriad options. It can be a real treasure trove. This variety — and the concept of such — is beyond exciting to me. (Some women are all about shoes). With this in mind, let’s take a look at today’s offerings. 1) Get Him To The Greek: this is about a drug-addled rock star and the unlikely buffoon charged with escorting him to a venue. Then we have 2) Killers, about a couple of impossibly attractive newlyweds who are curiously – and hilariously – facile with firearms. Also opening is 3) Splice, a horror sci-fi number about a lab-manufactured infant/creature/thing who not-surprisingly turns on her “makers”. For families, there’s 4) Marmaduke , about a lovable but hi-jinks-prompting Great Dane. And finally, there’s 5) Ondine. This is a UK fairy tale about a mermaid who gets caught in a fishing net, whose filmmakers are really hoping that US audiences are familiar with heavy regional Irish accents and aren’t familiar with Splash. Me? I’ll probably see the first two movies. How about you? For today let’s take the four films in wide release; voice your choice and let us know which one of these movies you’re most excited about: